Author: Michael Mondragon

From landing in Sofia, to Plovdiv, and then back to Sofia, we have witnessed and experienced many different and wonderful sites in Bulgaria. On our way from Plovdiv to Sofia we took a one night rest in the town of Starosel, but not before spending some time at our next site, The Thracian Cult Complex of Starosel!

This ancient cult complex is the 2000 largest of its time, which dates back to about five to four centuries before Christ. Along the southwest portion of the complex there is a break on the wall where the Thracians created a winery. The winery has a capacity of 6kL. That’s a lot of wine but if you think back, the Thracians were well known for their heavy drinking habits.

The temple itself consists of two chambers: the outside of the temple is made up of mostly granite, while the inside chamber is made of volcanic tuff. It’s important to note that material for the temple was not local. The quarry for the stones is about 30km from the temple. Moving such heavy stones must have not been an easy task back then. By itself, the stone door to the inside chamber of the temple weighs 750kg. It was carved to have a steep framing and a locking mechanism. The stones were all mostly joined with the use of iron and lead. Archeologists found the Cult Complex as is except for the copula inside which was restored.

Leading into the inside chamber are three steps. Each step is meant to symbolize the unity between the earth, the sky, and the underworld. Just like in Mt. Perperikon, the steps were believed to be profusely high so those going inside would bow on their way up. The door framing consists of oval shapes all around to symbolize the beginning of life.

Inside the copula of the temple forms a perfect circle, 5.4m in diameter. Some of the stones were painted blue, red, and black used again to symbolize the sky, the earth, and the underworld, respectively. In total there are ten pilaster columns around the circumference of the copula, though the Thracians put them in only for aesthetic reasons. The recent renovations were done on 14 of the 17 total rows leading up to the center stone, otherwise known as the keystone. The retaining walls outside the whole complex were covered.

Historians believe that the copula was opened during the solstice, and astronomers have confirmed that placing yourself in the with the top open would shower you with the sun during the summer solstice. During the winter solstice the sun rays would shine starting from the entrance and end in the middle of the temple. Unlike other Thracian sites, the Cult Complex was specifically a temple for rituals most likely for the sun goddess, which represented fertility. Since Thracians believed that life started after death, rituals would be held at the temple when their leaders died. At that time though the Thracians would burn their dead unlike in Mt. Perperikon where we saw tombs.

We walked around the perimeter of the complex where we found the winery. Looking out into the valley you notice several hills all around. History says that when the Thracians would flee they would cover their temples with earth to make them seem like natural hills. Archeologists believe that all the surrounding hills around the complex have the high possibility of being more ritual temples.

(P.S. – Pictures to come!)

Hi there. My name is Michael Mondragon and I am a senior at Syracuse University in the civil engineering program. As you have probably read from my previous classmates, we are on an experiential trip in Bulgaria. We visited a total of 10 different sites, both current and historical. One of those historical sites was hiking our way up Mt. Perperikon.

After a long two hour drive through many twists and turns, we finally arrived at our starting point. We had with us a guide that gave us important historic information along the way.

The first fun fact was about the mountain itself. It used to appear similar to the adjacent mountains, with trees, shrubs, and fauna all around it. Millennia ago it was found by the “Stone People”, which due to their animistic beliefs chose the mountain as a holy ground to carve out the faces of animals in the stones. Mt. Perperikon is made of a soft, brittle stone. Knowing this the “Stone People” were ingenious enough to use granite, a stronger stone, as a carving tool. Along the path where the carvings were located they also carved out a set of stairs from a small opening. Soon after carving out the mountain, the “Stone People” seem to have just vanished.

For years people had known about the mountain, but never had been anyone to officially explore it. The story goes that Prof. Nickolay Ovcharov, an archaeologist from Bulgaria, travelled by horseback through the many villages surrounding the mountain to record the various stories the people had about the mountain. Ovcharov discovery of the archeological site within the mountain is what has led current generations to uncover the surrounding area of the mountain. He is know as the Bulgarian Indiana Jones.

Roughly about 2000 years after the “Stone People” vanished, the Thracians came upon the face of the mountain. Witnessing the massive animal carvings on the mountain, the Thracians saw it as a sign from the gods to make the mountain their new home. The opening was widened by the Thracians, and the steps were made wide and high enough so when people were to climb the stairs it would appear as if they were bowing along the way.

Hiking further up the mountain we found remains of where doors used to be, ancient drainage systems, the temple of Dionysus, rooms in houses, and tombs. The Thracians believed in celebrating the dead rather than the living. They knew that life was hard, so at birth they would cry and at death they would drink to celebrate a person being put out of their misery of the world. Speaking of drinking, the Thracians were know to be heavy drinkers, hence their worship of Dionysus, the god of wine. Along the mountain path we encountered what used to be their wine storing area.

Finally, after a long hike up the mountain we had reached the top. From there we got a great view of the surrounding valley and nearby towns. Mt. Perperikon wasn’t just the home to the Thracians. Along the years it has belonged to those who conquer the land. The timeline consists of Thracian, Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarians, Ottoman, Turks, Soviet Union, and finally returning to the Bulgarians.

Our last stop before making our way back down was climbing inside the tower for a final group picture!

(P.S. – Pictures to come!)